As an internationally oriented and non-profit cultural institution, we stand for our social responsibility to protect artistic freedom, uphold the principle of state distance, and promote diversity and open public discourse.

We are also strongly committed to active and preventative action against all forms of violence, hate speech, racism, anti-Semitism*, and discrimination within our institution, communication, and work. This particularly concerns discrimination based on origin, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, religion, culture, residence status, age, class, appearance, chronic illnesses, as well as social status, physical characteristics, family status, pregnancy, and caregiving responsibilities.

*Our basis for the definition of anti-Semitism is the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti-Semitism (JDA) because we – like countless scholars and cultural creators worldwide – consider the IHRA definition to be imprecise and counterproductive, as it can be used for the political instrumentalization of the accusation of anti-Semitism and thus inadvertently contribute to discrimination.